


The Child of Darillium

by BNC



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Gen, Post-Episode: 2015 Xmas The Husbands of River Song, Post-Episode: s07e05 The Angels Take Manhattan, River and Doctors child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-25 20:10:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20031640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BNC/pseuds/BNC
Summary: What if River left the Doctor after Darillium before knowing she was pregnant? River knew her end was coming and there was no way she could raise her child without anyone finding out who her father was, so she gives her to the only people in the universe she can trust. Her parents.





	The Child of Darillium

**Author's Note:**

> One-shot of pure fluff because this idea wouldn't leave my brain. I love the idea that there's a child of River and The Doctor just out there in the universe and they both have absolutely no idea who she is.

She didn’t know something was missing in her life until she held the small infant in her arms. The midwife passed over her daughter and River felt instant relief that she had done the right thing.

Her daughter was perfect. In every way.

“Is there anyone you want me to contact? Family?” the midwife asked River from her bedside.

River looked down at her daughter. River wanted to show her off. Tell the world about her. More importantly tell her mother and father… her husband.

“No. It’s just me” she replied, not looking away from the sleeping infant. The midwife nodded respectfully as the doctor checked River over.

“Everything seems okay down there Ms Song. Congratulations on your daughter’s birth” he said smiling at her from her feet.

“Thank you.” She smiled at him holding her daughter closer to her just for a moment.

“Your baby seems very healthy, but we should check her over” the midwife said eyeing how River was holding her child.

“She’s fine” River said instantly.

“Please Ms Song. It’s important.” And held her arms out carefully. River looked at the girl. She was young, sweet natured. She seemed trustworthy enough. She had held River’s hand even though she was supposed to be helping the doctor at her feet. She had supported her because no one else was around. River had come into the hospital rather suddenly, on the verge of active labour. There was no time for the staff to ask her where her husband or family was. Just how River had planned it.

River passed her newborn daughter over and watched as the midwife took her over to the table set up across the room. She watched carefully from her bed as the girl checked over her child.

She heard a gasp and River was almost out of the bed before the girl could turn around.

“What’s wrong?” River asked but gasped and reached for the bed instantly as the pain shot through her body.

“You shouldn’t move so quick!” the girl said urgently but turned back to the baby in front of her.

“What’s wrong with my daughter?” she asked her.

“Nothing” the girl said truthfully. “I just… I thought…. It’s nothing” the girl said, and her voice trailed off as she dressed the infant in a small white onesie.

“Tell me” River demanded as she reached the girl dressing her daughter.

“I only know of one species in this universe with two hearts. We learnt about timelords in anatomy, but they were a just an example. There aren’t supposed to be any left… Your daughter. She has two hearts.” The girl said softly.

River panicked.

“You aren’t to tell a soul. Do you understand me?” she asked her. There was something in River’s face, the maternal protectiveness magnifying her usual feistiness that scared the young girl half to death.

“I promise. I do” she said nodding with feverity.

River nodded and reached for her child. She held her close and made her way back to her bed.

The midwife left and River made mental note of her name and species. If word escaped about her child, she would find her, and she would kill her. There was no doubt in Rivers mind about that.

As she stared down at the sleeping infant in her arms, she thought about the dangers this small child was going to face. How was she supposed to protect her? More importantly, how was she supposed to hide that she was _his_?

Not even he knew of her existence. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him. They had their years together. Darillium had been everything she ever wanted. It was twenty-four years of a life she never knew she’d get to have. It had also been twenty-four years of no children. They never tried, because she never dared to ask him for one, but in their last moments together before the long night ended. River knew something was different. As she watched him climb into the TARDIS, something fluttered in her and it wasn’t just grief. It was barely a week later when she knew something was different with her body. A small test revealed the truth to her and part of her was heartbroken. Broken over the fact that it had happened this late in their time together. That they would never get to raise this child together. But then part of her was happy, that something would live on that was made of him and her.

The only problem with that was that she was theirs. River had certainly made a name for herself and made enemies, and that doesn’t even begin to eclipse his enemies and _his_ name.

This child would have no life with her parents. She was at risk every second she was with River and River knew that.

As she looked down at the sweet combined face of herself and her husband, she knew what she had to do.

She gave herself one night. One night with her daughter as she recovered in the hospital bed.

The next day she would be gone.

She used her vortex manipulator to go exactly where she needed to be.

_1950s New York, USA, Earth._

River held her daughter close to her as she walked the streets of New York City in the fifties. It was muggy and cold, and she hoped the onesie her child was wearing would be enough until she could get to where she needed to go.

She knew where the publishing house was. She had taken the book there to be published so long ago but she never forgot where she last saw her mother.

She wasn’t sure how old she would be now. Forties? Fifties?

The door opened and a bell rang as she stepped inside. A perky receptionist greeted her with a smile.

“What can I do for you on this fine day ma’am?” she asked.

“Amy Williams? Is she here today?” she asked the girl, adjusting the baby from under her coat.

“Aw. She’s beautiful!” the girl chimed happily seeing the child.

“Amy?” she asked again impatiently.

“Oh of course. I’ll be one minute.” She said and walked off to another room. River waited, lifting the child to be closer to her. She was determined not to let the emotion overtake her.

This was the best thing for her.

She needed to be hidden.

She needed to be in a place she couldn’t be found.

Where _he_ couldn’t find her.

And there were only two people, other than herself, in the entire universe she trusted with her child.

Her parents.

“River!” Amy said happily at the sight of her daughter. She almost didn’t see the small infant in her daughters’ arms because of her happiness at seeing her child after so many years.

Something was different though. River seemed tired. Older.

Amy rushed over to hug River when she stopped in her tracks at the sight of the infant.

“Mother, I need your help.” She whispered and Amy knew. The sight of her daughter with a child. She knew. 

“Come” she said and placed her hand on her back. Leading her into her office down the hall.

“He doesn’t know?” she asked her immediately after closing the door behind River.

“No. He can’t know. Not yet. Not until she’s older.” She said sadly.

“Enemies.” Amy said with a knowing nod as she looked down at the small child.

That was her granddaughter… Granddaughter! Amy struggled to comprehend the thought.

“That’s one reason” River agreed watching her mother look at the child.

“The other?” she asked her.

“She can’t have a childhood like mine. She deserves better. She deserves people that love her and can protect her. She deserves a normal childhood. To get to grow up and not have to regenerate before she’s seven years old. She deserves to be with family. I am hoping you and Rory will do that. Raise her for me. Keep her safe. From him, just as much as the enemies she will inherit from us both.” River said, tears filling her eyes. Amy watched the pain on her daughters face as she spoke the words.

Amy understood. She understood it all. She would have given the world, hell, the universe, to have given River the childhood she deserved. To have given her to someone she trusted to keep her safe. The Doctor would love his child, Amy had no doubt about that. Love her so much he would do anything for her, whether it was in the best interest of the universe or anyone in firing range, or not. Keeping her hidden was to protect him just as much as it was to protect the infant. The child needed to grow in a normal environment, not without a home as her mother had done.

“Of course, we will.” Amy said almost crying herself.

“Thank you” River said, instantly relaxing. She let out a sigh of relief as she reached out for her mother. Amy leant forward, hugging her daughter with her granddaughter between them. She could hardly believe this was happening, but she knew she would give up the world for anything River wanted, and she wouldn’t say no to the opportunity to watch her grandchild grow up.

“What is her name?” Amy asked. River let out a small chuckle.

“I was going to give her a Gallifreyan name, but I don’t want it to draw attention to her. I decided pretty quickly I was going to give her to you, so I knew she’d need an earth name instead. Then I thought about what she means to the universe. About what her father means. Her existence is a beacon of hope and life for the future of the timelords and what it means to be one.” River explained staring down at her child’s sleeping face. That was a lot of pressure for such a small baby. Amy thought.

“Her name is Asha. It means hope and life.” River continued.

“It’s beautiful” Amy said with a smile.

“I guess you can call her Pond if you want” she smiled looking up at her mother. Amy smiled back.

“Maybe she should be Williams. I don’t think your father ever really forgave me for giving you Pond” she smiled. River smiled back.

“Asha Williams it is” she said kissing her daughter’s forehead. She lingered for just a moment. A tear finally falling from her eye and onto the infant’s face.

“I love you. I will love you every second for the rest of my life. I hope you become as strong and selfless and loving as your father. I hope you get to travel the universe and save worlds and make friends of every species. I hope you’re good for your grandparents and I hope you grow up to be as wonderful as them. I’m sorry I can’t be your mother. I’m sorry I can’t be there to hold your hand or tuck you into bed but there will never be a moment that I don’t think of you. Goodbye my little angel.”

Both Amy and River were crying as River pushed the child away from her chest and into Amy’s unexpected arms. Amy adjusted quickly, taking the child close to her. She looked up quickly to her daughter in front of her.

“Thank you.” River said with a meaningful nod. This was the hardest thing she ever had to do in her entire life, and she was scared it was going to break her. She had to leave quickly now, or she never would.

“I’ll tell her everything. All the stories. Ill remind her every day how loved she is. By _both_ of her parents.” Amy said quickly. River smiled at that. Happy she had done the right thing.

“Goodbye mother.”

“Goodbye Melody” Amy said as River reached for her vortex manipulator.

Amy blinked and River was gone. She looked down at the infant in her arms, that reminded her so much of when she held her own daughter at that age, and Amy smiled.

**Almost Eighteen Years Later**

**“**Asha Melody Williams, what time do you call this?” Her grandfather’s voice bounced off the walls of their home as she entered the house. Asha groaned, closing the door behind her.

“Ten pm?” she asked with an innocent shrug.

“Your curfew is nine!” he called coming into the hall. Rory was old now. Grey hair, wrinkles and a small limp in his step. He was sure raising his granddaughter had added an extra twenty years to his age. But then what did he expect from the daughter of River and the Doctor?

“I’m eighteen tomorrow grandpa” she sighed putting her hand on her hip.

“And guess what? The legal age is twenty-one in this country!” he argued back. Asha rolled her eyes. She was a timelord being raised by a scot and an english man. She was far from a regular American citizen. She didn’t understand why she had to follow the rules in this tiny city.

“Rory there is no point in shouting at her. You know this” Amy said coming up to his side.

“She doesn’t follow all of the rules”

“She’s a teenager. And she’s her parent’s daughter. We have no hope in hell of controlling her.” Amy reasoned. Asha had already stormed off upstairs to her room.

“I just want her to be safe” Rory said welling up with emotion. Rory had gone much softer in his old age. Amy reached for his face with her hand.

“I know. Me too. But she’s just a teenager. You remember her mother when she was this age. Did you really expect Asha would be any different?” Amy reminded him. Rory sighed in defeat.

“No, I guess not” he responded as he took her hand. The pair went into the living room to sit down.

The couple had aged significantly as they raised their granddaughter. She had been a feisty, stubborn, wilful child that grew into an extremely independent teenager. Amy certainly wasn’t worried that Asha wouldn’t be able to navigate the universe when she left them. Asha inherited many of her parents’ traits and the girl reminded her grandparents every day of their daughter and best friend.

Amy and Rory curled up together on the couch as they reminisced on stories of their past; adventures with the Doctor that reminded them of Asha and how one day they imagined her saving the universe like her parents.

“Is it wrong that I don’t want her to do that? That I want her to stay here?” Rory asked.

“No. I think that’s natural. But its inevitable. She’s a timelord, full of adventure and the genetics of our daughter. She would go crazy if she stayed in this little place on earth. And we both know it” Amy reminded him.

“Yeah I know you’re right. She deserves it. The universe. She deserves to see it how we did.” Rory agreed.

“She’s going to be brilliant.” Amy grinned up at Rory. He smiled back, the wrinkles on his face matching her own and she was so grateful she had got to live this life with him. They had an amazing youth, even with the traumatic events that occurred in their early marriage. They had seen the universe, travelled with the best man either of them would ever know and had a daughter that would become everything to them. Then on top of that they got to raise their granddaughter and grow old together.

There was a sudden clatter and Amy shot up from her husbands’ arms. A strange gust of wind came from the kitchen and Amy got up to investigate.

“Amy” Rory hissed as he followed her into the kitchen. Amy knew the characteristics of the vortex manipulator. She expected River to be standing in the kitchen waiting to greet her parents but as she entered the room, there was no sign of her daughter.

“River?” she asked looking around. There was a cup on its side that wasn't before, but other than that, there was no-one there. As she scanned the room something caught her attention on the counter. She walked over to see a handwritten envelope addressed to Asha. On top of the envelope was a shiny new vortex manipulator from the 51st century and a small note lay next to it.

_For her eighteenth birthday._

_Thank you for protecting her for me._

_I trust you completely._

_Melody._

Amy knew it was River giving them the option as to whether to give the gift to Asha or not, but Amy and Rory had already agreed that they wouldn’t stop Asha from getting to see the universe. She was old enough now to know and understand the dangers. She knew that she was to never tell a soul who her parents were, and she knew she was to regularly check in, so her grandparents knew she was safe. They had no doubt in the child they had raised, that although she was stubborn and aggravating at times, that she was every bit her parent’s child and would bring wonders to the universe.


End file.
